Barolo 'Arborina'

Score

94

"The Elio Altare 2016 Barolo Arborina sources its fruit from the family vineyard that surrounds and extends downhill from the higher perch where the Altare winery and home is located in La Morra. The wine exudes darkness and rich concentration with blackberry aromas that are followed by spice, tar and campfire ash. It ages in barrique for two years, and only 20% of that oak is new. These results are open-knit and accessible, revealing velvety texture and black fruit flavors. Production is 4,800 bottles."

Score

95

"The 2016 Barolo Arborina is one of the most perfumed, gracious wines I have ever tasted from Altare. More than that, the tannins that can be a bit aggressive in young Arborina are wonderfully silky, supple and nuanced. Sweet red cherry, kirsch, spice, wild flowers, mint and white pepper all give the Arborina brilliant top notes. Medium in body and impossibly refined, the 2016 is a stunner, but it is a less obvious wine than it has tended to be in the past."

Score

96

"This wine delivers the goods. The 2013 Barolo Arborina is a complete and centered wine that opens to an enchanting blast of exuberant fruit. The bouquet is redolent of dark cherry and blackberry, and those aromas are thick enough to balance out the wine's savory and oak-driven side. These elements come together with seamless integration. The wine offers an important sense of textural balance as well. It feels thick, but not heavy. It shows richness but is also buoyant and bright at the same time. This is an excellent wine from the unstoppable force that is Elio Altare."

Score

91

"This is developing, revealing aromas and flavors of vanilla, caramel, cherry jam, tobacco and spice. Rich and soft in texture, with light tannins on the finish. Best from 2019 through 2030. 500 cases made."

Score

92

"Sweet floral notes and bright red stone fruits are nicely delineated in the 2013 Barolo Arborina. Perfumed and light on its feet, the 2013 possesses mid-weight structure and enough depth to drink well for at least a number of years. At this stage, the Arborina is a bit subdued and medium in body. The 2013 saw a short maceration of just 86 hours."

Score

92

"A wine of delicacy and finesse, the 2012 Barolo Arborina is another wine that offers more in the way of freshness and persistence than power. The flavors are bright and focused throughout, which gives the wine considerable near and medium-term appeal. The classic, incisive Arborina tannins are nicely balanced throughout."

Score

94

"The 2011 Barolo Arborina is a fantastic expression that boasts a seamless fusion of dark fruit and spice. It delivers character, power and a feminine side that comes forward thanks to pretty floral definition. Pressed violets and roses rise from the glass. Elio Altare makes his wines on the verge of reduction (meaning with minimal contact with oxygen) as a way of safeguarding the aromatic intensity. In the mouth, the wine awards fine tannins and silky, long persistency."

Score

90

"Cherry, licorice, tar and tobacco notes permeate this dense, muscular red. A salty mineral element emerges as this broadens on the tarry finish. Burly tannins. Best from 2020 through 2036. 500 cases made."

Score

95

"A deep and rich Barolo with lovely velvety tannins and a fresh and tangy background giving the wine tension and beauty. Lovely intensity. Love to drink it now but better in 2017."

Score

91

"The 2011 Barolo Arborina is unusually dark and powerful in this vintage. Only the tense, sinewy finish speaks to Arborina. Most of the other site-specific signatures appear muted in 2011, which is not unusual in this vintage. It will be interesting to see how things develop, but today the Arborina comes across as a bit heavy, with intense jammy fruit and good aromatics, but less finesse than when I tasted it just prior to bottling"